ICO to GIF converter



Supported image types: ICO (Windows icon)
Max file size: 200MB. All uploaded files are automatically deleted 1 hour after upload.

When local processing is enabled, files are processed in browser without uploading to a server. Some features may be limited. If you experience issues, leave this unchecked.

Extract Images from ICO Files

ICO is the icon format used across Windows — for desktop shortcuts, application icons, and website favicons. Unlike most image formats, a single ICO file can bundle multiple versions of the same icon at different sizes (16×16, 32×32, 48×48, 256×256, and more) and color depths, all in one container. Most image editors can't open ICO files directly, which makes this converter useful when you need to work with the actual image data inside them.

This tool supports both single-file conversion and local batch mode. In batch mode, you can convert multiple ICO images to GIF at once directly in your browser without uploading to the server, and download all converted files in a ZIP archive, including every size from multi-size ICO files.

What Happens During Conversion

The converter reads the ICO file and extracts every image size stored inside it, saving each one as a separate GIF. The largest image is shown as the main result (with the usual follow-up tools), and the smaller sizes (16×16, 32×32, 48×48 and so on) are displayed right below it, each ready to download. This works both in single file mode and in local batch mode, where all extracted sizes are also included in the ZIP archive. GIF supports only 1-bit transparency, so semi-transparent pixels in the icon are flattened to either fully transparent or fully opaque.

Common Reasons to Convert ICO to GIF

  • Legacy compatibility — GIF is understood by practically every application, forum, chat client and document editor, including old ones that can't open ICO files.
  • Extracting a favicon — you found an .ico file from a website and want to see what's inside it, or reuse the icon in a post, signature or presentation.
  • Small, simple graphics — icons use few colors, which is exactly what the GIF palette is good at, so the resulting files stay tiny.
  • Further editing — once the icon is a GIF you can resize it, add effects or use it as a frame in an animation with the other ezgif tools.

About ICO Files

The ICO format was introduced by Microsoft in the early days of Windows. Its main feature is the ability to store several resolutions in one file, so the operating system can pick the best size for each context — a tiny 16×16 version for the taskbar and a crisp 256×256 version for the desktop. Modern ICO files often embed PNG-compressed images internally (especially at 256×256), while smaller sizes may use the older BMP-based storage.

Need to go the other direction? Use PNG to ICO to create favicon files from PNG images. You can also convert icons from GIF to ICO or WebP to ICO. Other ICO conversions: ICO to PNG, ICO to WebP. For other image conversions, browse all available file format converters.